If you’re experiencing True Depression, where you can’t sleep at night, can’t stay awake during the day, and it all seems hopeless, please get help from whatever source helps you – online therapy, religion, talking with a friend, reading words of wisdom, singing, medication, meditation, I don’t know. My observations are not equipped for solving profound depression.
On the other hand, if it’s just the Pandemic Blues, maybe these thoughts will help.
1. Remember, Fear Sells. A headline that reads “Most people get over COVID-19 quickly, with little trouble,” or “Looks like Trump might lose, but who knows?” doesn’t sell nearly as well as “These outliers had horrible lingering symptoms and You Might Too,” or “The 19 signs of impending fascism and how Trump has done 18 already.” Journalism is a competitive business and Fear Sells. So, for your own mental health, stop reading that stuff.
2. Social Media is Poison these days. You’re not the only one with anxieties and concerns. Unfortunately too many people cope by sharing an unending stream of fear, outrage, scorn, fury, scolding others, mockery, and general crapola. That also includes words of wisdom about finding joy in a perfect loaf of bread or little garden, if one is not in the mood for what can seem pious and smug. Not everything has to be bunnies in a basket. On the other hand, what really is the benefit to you of scrolling through You’re a Racist Even if You Don’t Mean to Be, Trump will Kill us All, World is Going to Hell in a Handbasket, and Hilarious Mean Photo Du Jour?
More Later. Time for a break.
Many Happy Returns 